Parks Service of Leisure and Outdoor Recreation
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Parks Service of Leisure and Outdoor Recreation SERVICE PLAN - 2018 / 19 Date Consulted within staff team 09/03/2018 0 Discussed & signed off by Director 25/04/2018 Service Improvement Plan CONTENT SECTION TITLE PAGE NUMBER 1.0 OVERALL PURPOSE & SCOPE OF THE SERVICE 1.1 Purpose and scope of the service 2 1.2 Responsibilities 2 1.3 Customers & Stakeholders 4 1.4 Performance Overview in 2017/18 5 2.0 SERVICE WORK PLAN - 2018/19 2.1 Budget - 2018/19 6 2.2 Staffing Complement – 2018/19 7 2.3 Service Work Plan – 2018/ 19 8 - 15 3.0 IMPROVING OUR SERVICE AND MANAGING PERFORMANCE - 2018/19 3.1 Couils Iproeet Ojeties ad Assoiated 16 Programs - 2018/19 3.2 Service Contribution to the Corporate Improvement 17 - 20 Objectives 3.3 Risk Management of Service 21 - 23 1 Service Improvement Plan 1.0 OVERALL PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE SERVICE 1.1. Purpose and Scope of the Service The scope, diversity and potential developmental capacity accessible to Mid Ulster District Council Parks Service is both tremendously exciting and challenging. The greatest importance is sustaining a welcoming, safe environment and raising quality standards for parks and open spaces, together with the provision of facilities that are sufficient to meet the varied recreational demands of a growing residential population. This needs to be achieved in the context of increasing pressure on public expenditure, alongside encouraging greater community ownership and involvement. The Parks Service is committed to the achievement of quality standards across parks and open spaces in line with the Green Flag status through the attainment of additional Green Flag Awards for suitable sites. The Parks Service will support achievement of sustainable development in line with approved management and maintenance plans delivering on the protection and enhancement of the natural qualities of parks and open spaces, embracing positive biodiversity for the benefit of future generations. The Parks Service will endeavour to actively support volunteering opportunities within parks and open spaces and encourage greater community involvement and additional partnership working between agencies, groups and organisations, exploring opportunities (where compatible with corporate priorities) to provide high quality parks and open spaces that are enjoyed by all who visit or live within our shared community. The Parks Service is part of the Leisure and Outdoor Recreation Directorate, and is made up of the following service areas: 1. Public Parks and Open Spaces 2. Play Areas 3. Countryside Access 4. Forest Recreation 5. Water Recreation 6. Camping & Caravanning 1.2 Responsibilities PUBLIC PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS Mid Ulster District Council manage sixteen public parks of varying sizes and facilities the largest of which are Dungannon Park and Ballyronan Marina. Some one hundred 2 Service Improvement Plan and twelve play park/playground amenities are provided and maintained across the towns, villages and hamlets of the district. Public parks provide our local communities with the opportunity to be physically active Parks with the capacity to attract day visits have true economic benefit to surrounding towns and villages Parks provide vital green space in urban landscapes Parks preserve wildlife habitat Parks and recreation facilitate social interactions Leisure activities in parks improve moods, reduce stress and enhance a sense of wellness Playing outside helps children to develop their learning abilities. Outdoor play eourages hildres reatiity ad proides uerous health eefits as opposed to indoor environments. FOREST RECREATION Mid Ulster District Council are engaged with Forest Service Northern Ireland through the development of Licence Agreements to increase quality recreational access to forest lands in the district. The council currently hold five licence agreements with Forest Service for recreational use. The contribution of forest recreation province wide was measured in a recent survey completed by Forest Service in 2014. Some 65,000 visits were estimated to have taken place at Drum Manor Forest Park, one Mid Ulster Forest site to be included in the survey. An estimated 4.7 million visits were taken to Northern Ireland forests on the Forest Service Forest Estate in 2014. An average of £20 (including accommodation) was spent during visits taken to the surveyed forests, of this total an average of around £3 was spent within the forest. 80% of visitors are adults (aged 16 or older) The estimated total annual spend during trips that involve visiting a publicly accessible Forest Service location (including any amounts spent on accommodation) is £76.1 million. The most popular activities on visits to the surveyed forests were walking (75% of visits) and dog walking (34% of visits). COUNTRYSIDE ACCESS AND WATER RECREATION Mid Ulster District Council manages one significant water recreation facility at Ballyronan Marina, almost 150 kilometres of cycle and walking trails along with 22 kilometres of designated canoe trail and nine angling facilities (two game and seven coarse) across the district. These include amenities such as the Coalisland Canal Trail, Clogher Valley/Carleton Trial, riverside walks at Dunamore, Augher and Cots Lane and Ardtrea. Angling facilities at coarse waters Creeve, Enagh and Carrick Lough and Game fishing at Dungannon Park and Bradley lake and mountain bike activity centres at Davagh Forest and Blessingbourne Estate offering over 41 kilometers of trails for riding and walking enthusiasts. 3 Service Improvement Plan In addition to this the Council has a statutory responsibility to manage Access to the Countryside under the Access to the Countryside (NI) Order 1983, district councils have a duty to assert, protet ad keep ope ad free fro ostrutio or eroahet, ay puli right of ay..... They are also gie disretioary poers to repair ad maintain rights of way, to create, divert or close public paths and to make access agreements or orders to open land. The socio-economic and wider health benefits attached to access to outdoor activities and recreation is widely known that sport helps to reduce incidents of heart disease ad oesity. Aordig to “port Matters: The “trategy for “port ad Physial Recreation in Northern Ireland, 2009-9, sport ad rereatio is oe of the est investments that can be made in preventive medicine. Significantly the strategy adds: Outdoor rereatio is idely reogised as a positie fore. It a uild lastig relationships between people and often people from different social and religious akgrouds. There are ay UK studies that highlight that outdoor recreation has a positive impact on: • Health ad fitess; • Quality of life; • Work ethi ad produtiity; • Iard iestet; ad • ‘edutio i rie. CAMPING AND CARAVANNING Visitors to Mid Ulster can choose from three council managed campsite facilities, Dungannon Park, Ballyronan Marina and Round Lake, Fivemiletown. Forty-eight serviced caravan pitches are available for hire throughout the thirty week season. Larger groups can be accommodated such as caravan clubs at Dungannon Park with capacity to welcome in excess of eighty units. New visitor facilities have been developed and refurbished at Dungannon Park and Ballyronan Marina for the 2017/18 season, which include upgraded visitor centre and shower blocks. Mid Ulster District Council sites recorded 1,094 visiting caravan units and 110 tent units to managed locations in 2016-17 season. The potential to increase visitor footfall through campsite development is an option being considered with Forest Service. The section is specifically responsible for the following functions: The following list of contacts illustrates the nature and range of stakeholder relationships that exist between the Parks Service and other Council functions, public and private sector organisations, the community and voluntary sectors and is not inexhaustible given that new situations and opportunities arise throughout the course of service planning and delivery. 1.3 Customers & Stakeholders Customers & Stakeholders 4 Service Improvement Plan CHIEF EXECUTIVE ELECTED MEMBERS STAFF ENVIRONMENT & PROPERTY SERVICES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH TOURISM & EVENTS FINANCE TECHNICAL SERVICES COMMUNITY SERVICES HUMAN RESOURCES LEISURE SERVICES ARTS & CULTURE LEGAL SERVICES PLANNING SERVICES ICT HEALTH & SAFETY & RISK MANAGEMENT POLICING & COMMUNITY SAFETY PARTNERSHIP MARKETING & COMMUNICATION VISITORS/TOURISTS GENERAL PUBLIC FOREST SERVICE NI OUTDOOR RECREATION NI PSNI COMMUNITY GROUPS DEPARTMENT FOR INFRASTRUCTURE SPORTS CLUBS/ANGLING, CYCLING, RUNNER AND WALKERS TOURISM NI SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES (NI) INTER-ANGENCY FORUM DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMRNT & RURAL AFFAIRS 1.4 Performance Overview in 2017/18 The following table provides a progress summary and the impact made by last years Service Plan (2017-2018). It also details key successes, remaining challenges for the Service and how it made a difference. The following table provides a progress summary and the impact made by last years Service Plan (2017-2018). It also details key successes, remaining challenges for the Service and how it made a difference. 2017/18 Performance Overview Preparation of Five Year Parks and Play Strategy 2017 – 2022 which was an ojetie o the Couils Corporate Improvement Plan 5 Service Improvement Plan Preparation of Five Year Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2017 – 2022 which was a ojetie o Couils Corporate Iproeet Plan Countryside Access development actions associated to Public Rights of Ways hih as a ojetie